Upright-piano action.



L. N. SUPER.

UPRIGHT PIANO ACTION.

rum-non FILED .13, 1911 Patented Aug. 15, 1911.

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LEWIS NELSON SOPER, OF GUELPH, ONTARIO, CANADA.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lnwrs NELSON Sornn, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Guelph, in the county of Wellington, Province of Ontario, and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Upright-Piano Actions, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to upright piano actions of that type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 92439 1, granted to me June 8, 1909.

The invention has for one of its objects to provide a piano action which possesses a perceptibly lighter touch than is possible with actions heretofore known to the trade, this latter touch being accomplished through the agency of a novel spring arranged between the jack and hammer, whereby the hammer is carried to the striking point with less weight being brought to bear on the ke l knother object of the invention is the employment of a supplemental cushion on the hammer butt so arranged as to come into contact with the hammer spring at a time when the hammer is about three-eighths of an inch, more 0 less, from the string,'so that during the final part of the striking movement, the hammer spring is placed un der a decided tension which insures a quick return of the hammer to check position and at the same time the rebound of the hammer from the string causes the repeating spring between the jack and hammer to insure a positive repeating and a more rapid movement than has been heretofore attained.

Vith these objects in view-and others, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a vertical section of an upright piano action with the parts in normal position. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the position assumed immediately prior to the hammer striking the string. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the parts adjacent the hammer butt and jack showing the parts in the position they assume when the hammer is at Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 3, 1911.

UPRIGHT-PIANO ACTION.

Patented Aug. 15, 1911.

Serial No. 600,575.

check. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the repeating spring. Fig. 5 is a modified arrangement of the spring.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the views Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the jack; 2, the hammer butt; 3, the countercheck shank; 4, the countercheck; 5, the check; 6, the hammer; 7, the hammer spring; and 8, the hammer spring seat on the but-t 2; the said parts being arranged in the usual manner well known. A repeating spring A is employed between the jack and hammer which, according to the present embodiment, consists of a wire of suitable gage formed with a coil 9 from which extend approximately right angularly disposed arms 10 and 11 which arms are normally without tension. As shown in Fig. 4, these arms have laterally-extending members 12 and 13 that form pivots and connect the spring with the jack 1 and counter-check 1, respectively. The jack has a vertically disposed recess or seat 1 1 in its top surface, and if desired, the jack may be formed with a lug 15 to better provide for the forming of the seat. This seat is lined by a doubled strip of felt 16 and the pivot 12 rests in the bottom or doubled portion of this felt, as clearly shown. The upper pivot 13 passes laterally through an opening in the shank of the counter-check from one side so that the coiled portion 9 and arms 10 and 11 of the spring are disposed to one side of the vertical plane of the counter-check shank 3. A simple manner of attaching the upper arm 11 to the countercheck shank is to pass the pivot 13 through an opening 17. The ends 19 and 20 of the pivots 12 and 13 are bent at an angle so as to prevent the spring from becoming detached from the jack and counter-check. By thus connecting the repeating spring A to the counter-check, an efiective lifting action is produced on the hammer by a spring when the key is depressed, and while the hammer is in check position, as shown in Fig. 3, the spring will be under stress and as a result the jackwill be quickly pressed downwardly when the pressure on the key is released, so as to be ready for another operation.

Although the point of connection between the repeating spring and counter-check is at the inner end of the shank near the butt of the hammer, it is to be understood that it can be connected with any desired part of the counter-check. Thus, by reference to the modification shown in Fig. 5, it will be observed that the spring is connected with the head 4L on the outer end of the shank or counter-check proper. The pivot 18 of the spring passes through a recess 17 in which the lower upturned end of the leather strip or facing 18 of the counter-check is inserted. The end of the strip does not extend fully into the recess 17 so that in the space thereby provided the pivot 13" can be accommodated. The use of the term countercheck in the claims is intended to apply to the parts 3 and 4: considered as a unitary member of the hammer.

The rear face of the hammer butt is provided with a cushion 21 in the form of a block of felt or other material located adjacent the upper rear corner of the butt in such a position that the hammer spring 7 will be engaged by the cushion during the last part of the movement of the hammer. whereby the hammer spring will be placed under tension and effect a quick return of the hammer to check position after the string is struck. This supplemental cushion 21 is located a slight distance above the seat 6, where the free end of the hammer spring 7 engages the butt. With the improvements embodied in a piano action, as described and illustrated, the keys operate with a lighter touch, and positive repeating and a rapid movement are rendered possible.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, is

1. The combination of a pivoted jack having an opening parallel with the pivot on which it moves, a hammer butt, a countercheck on the hammer butt and having an opening parallel with the pivot of the hammer butt, a repeating spring having means on its extremities for loosely engaging in the openings of the jack and counter-check to pivotally connect the spring with such jack and counter-check.

2. The combination of a jack, a hammer butt, a counter-check, and a repeating spring consisting of angularly disposed arms resiliently connected, the free extremities of the arm being bent laterally and pivot-ally connected with the jack and counter-check respectively.

3. The combination of a jack having a downwardly-extending recess, a hammer butt, a counter-check, and. a spring consisting of angularly-disposcd yielding arms arranged with one arm engaged in the recess and the other arm pivotally connected with the counter-check.

4. The combination of a jack, a hammer butt, a counter-check, and a repeating spring disposed between the ack and counter-check and bodily movable, said spring consisting of angularly-disposed resiliently connected arms having their free extremities provided with laterally-extending pivots connected with the ack and counter-check.

5. The combination of a jack having a downwardly-extending recess in its upper end, a hammer butt, a counter-check having an upwardly-extending recess in its bottom, and a spring having angularly-disposed arms provided with laterally-extending pivots at their free ends engaged respectively in the recesses of the ack and countercheck.

6. The combination of a jack having a downwardly-extending recess in its upper end, a hammer butt, a counter-check having an upwardly-extending recess in its bottom, a spring having angularly-disposed arms provided with laterally-extending pivots at their free ends engaged respectively in the recesses of the ack and counterchcck, and a facing strip on the counter-check having one end seated in the recess of the latter to hold the spring attached to the counter-check.

7. The combination of a jack having a downwardly extending recess in its upper end, a hammer butt. a counter-check having an upwardly-extending recess in its bottom, a spring having angularly disposed arms provided with laterally-extending pivots at their free ends engaged respectively in the recesses of the jack and counter-check, and a doubled cushion strip lining the recess in the ack and forming a cushion. seat for the pivot of the spring connected with the jack.

8. The combination of a jack having a downwardly-extending recess in its upper end, a hammer butt, a counter-check having an i11 )wardly-e: :tending recess in its bottom a spring having angularly-disposed arms provided with laterally-extending pivots at their free ends engaged respectively in the recesses of the jack and counter-check, a facing strip on the counter-check having one end seated in the recess of the latter to hold the spring attached to the counter-check, and a double cushion strip lining the recess in the jack and forming a cushion seat for the pivot of the spring connected with the jack.

9. The combination of a hammer butt, a seat thereon, a hammer spring having its cushion fastened to the butt above the seat to engage the spring at a point between its 15 anchored end and its seat-engaging portion and place the spring under tension during the final part of the movement of the hammer.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature 20 in presence of two witnesses.

LEWVIS NELSON SOPER.

Vitnesses J. E. STEELE, T. KAEMPF.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

- Washington, D. C. 

